When she was 24, model Lauren Wasser nearly lost her life to toxic shock syndrome, a complication of bacterial infection connected with tampon use. The ordeal required her right leg to be amputated; she also lost the toes of her left foot. Now, she's speaking out about what she learned from the experience and what kept her going during her darkest days.

In an interview for StyleLikeU's video series "The What's Underneath Project,", which talks about style in terms of both fashion and self-image, Wasser discussed what it was like to go through her below-the-knee amputation. "I felt every single thing that happened, for 24 hours, screaming my head off, throwing shit," the 29-year-old said about waking up after the operation. "It was fucking hell. I was miserable. I hated everyone, I hated everything, I hated myself... I just did not want to live."

She also talked about how she considered herself a "jerk" and one of the "cool girls" before her amputation. Losing her leg and nearly her life, she said, completely transformed her. "I immediately wanted to apologize to anyone I'd done wrong [to]," she explained. "I just wanted to make peace." After doing some soul-searching, Wasser decided to use her story to make change. "I realized that I had a purpose," she said. She teamed up with Carolyn Maloney, the U.S. Representative for New York's 12th congressional district, to support the Robin Danielson Act, which would provide for more research on tampon products and additives if passed in Congress.

And while Wasser said it was hard to talk about whether she'd trade anything to go back to the way things were before, she's focused on moving forward. "My heart wouldn't be full," she explained, if her story hadn't played out the way it has. "I wouldn't feel like I'm doing good. I wouldn't feel like I'm making an impact in a positive way. I wouldn't have known what that felt like, because I didn't do that before." Check out the full video above. You can also catch Wasser speaking out about how the fashion industry views disability in her TEDxTelAviv talk from earlier this year.